Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Do you wish to enact the sword?” The voice came from over the stone, a slight tremor in the words. The pair had traded a few shots, but nothing severe yet. He had been living on the edge since his allies had died. These moments were always the hardest, struggling to survive pitted against one another. No choice but to fight.

But when Etho said that he nodded furiously. Unable to stop a panicked laugh.

“Yes! Yes, I wish to enact the sword!” Grian wasn’t 100% sure if this was a trick, but many had commented on Etho’s word. The man was loyal when he needed to be. He was also surprised it was remembered. It felt like so long ago now, months? How long had these death games been running for?

The makeshift barrier of stone and wood was easily vaulted over, and Etho landed in front of him. While Grian felt relief, he also wasn’t keen to let his guard down. Everyone knew of the other man, and even though he was rumoured to be washed up, Grian didn’t fully believe it. It would work to his advantage to have everyone suspect he wasn’t really a threat. Etho was a wildcard, dangerous and unpredictable.

“What do you need?” How was his voice so steady? They had both most likely been out in the cold for a while. Grian was trying his best not to shiver too much.

“Food…if you have, and arrows?” He wasn’t expecting much, but his own resources were dwindling. Darkness was falling, and hostile mobs would start to spawn soon. He had no idea who was teamed up, and who was alive. Grian had gone so long without seeing someone, that when Etho fired that first arrow it had caught him by surprise.

Bread, slightly stale was pushed into his hands, while the taller man rummaged in his makeshift pack, pulling out a bundle of arrows to offer to Grian as well.
“So…what does this alliance entail?” Grian put the arrows into his own, unable to help himself from taking a bite of the bread. It was a good few days old, but it tasted amazing when he had been surviving on very little.

“Well…” Etho paused, hands hovering over the hilt of his sword, Grian’s eyes drifted to it and a nervousness crawled up his spine. Was this all a trap? An elaborate one?

“…as I said when you gave me this. I will serve you however you wish.” The sword he had given in the beginning. He had thought Etho was talking figuratively about the first sword. Tools get broken, weapons lost or stolen. But this was the same weapon that forged this pact in the beginning. Something that had slipped Grian’s mind the other man had been using to protect himself this entire time.

“Ah, right, I see.” He didn’t really know what that meant but tried to move on while he thought over the terms.

“Do you have a place to sleep?” ‘However he wished’. In another life he would want to take full advantage of that, but for right now he just wanted to sleep, and cry, perhaps try to rearrange his pack.

“My old camp was raided, but I’m taking shelter in a cave not too far from here. It’s hidden well enough.” Grian couldn’t tell what else Etho was thinking, how quickly he switched from wanting to kill him, to helping him.
“Right, yeah. Good plan. We’ll talk strategy there.”

The cave itself was behind some trees, difficult to spot unless you knew what to look for. Etho had been careful not to leave any lights, or hints of activity going on there. It made this look like just an abandoned ravine.

It wasn’t very roomy, a makeshift bed tucked away in a corner, and a couple of chests lying around.
“Help yourself to what you need, I don’t have much, but what’s mine is yours.” Grian’s curiosity got the better of him and he lifted a few lids to have a look, but they had most of the same things. Nothing overly valuable. Just the last scraps of their humanity. It was easier when these games were casual. When everyone was on good terms and not fighting to survive.

But the rules of this game were simple. Somehow, the same people were drawn into this small world and expected to survive through unusual challenges, the last one surviving wins. Unlike their other lives, which they were able to switch in and out of while sleeping, this world seemed to spawn every so often. And friends became enemies once more.

“You can take the bed.” Etho motioned to the nest of blankets, and Grian’s avian instincts kicked into gear. While here he had no wings, he still had predispositions which made the tasks harder. It was why he found himself drawn to groups, to individuals, trying to get that feeling of his flock to keep the instincts at bay.
“What about you? There’s enough space for two of us, and it’s probably our last night. We’ll share.”

“You don’t have much faith in us surviving?” Etho raised an eyebrow, and Grian shrugged.
“Call me a pessimist, but since I lost the other two, well I’ve just been wondering when I’m gonna die. It’s just counting the hours now.” It didn’t seem Etho had a response to that, turning to go through a couple of his chests. As he did, Grian took the chance to look around some more.

He had interacted with Etho a few times, in another life they could even be considered friends. But right now, he was glad to have the company. Even if it was someone he was not as familiar with.
“So, what is our strategy for this? Seems like you haven’t given up all hope?” He moved closer to the bed as he addressed Etho. The man was lanky, would their be enough room?

Etho had pulled out another blanket at this point, throwing it over the bed.

“Well, I’ll do my best to protect you with my life. You’ve given me this sword, so I’m sworn to you. I just…well I won’t betray Impulse. But whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. If you need to use me to get away, or to survive longer, just whatever you need me for.” The fact Etho seemed so careless about his own life with this alliance now was curious, Grian’s head gave its signature bird-like tilt.

“Why was the sword so important that you’d throw away your life to protect me? It’s just a sword, you could have made another one.” There was a pause, and Grian thought he may have asked the wrong question.

“I keep to my word. And when you gave me the sword, I told you I’d serve however you wished.” Grian was about to interrupt but Etho’s gaze silenced him.
“I am your sword. That’s it, simple as that. You ask me to chase after someone, to distract, to set up traps. I’m your guy. Again, I won’t betray Impulse, but I won’t let him kill you either.” The way he spoke, his words had some finality to them. Grian couldn’t help but trust it.

“Fine, I don’t plan on sending you to your death, but we’ll see this through together.” They both seemed satisfied at that, and Grian started to take off his armour.
“At first light we’ll see if we can raid more camps for better supplies. My gear has seen better days, then I think we should try and at least get a kill. The less people around the more likely we are to survive.”

He collapsed into the bed, exhaustion washing over him like a cool wave. Grian was so close to falling asleep then and there. But he couldn’t find it in himself to trust Etho fully when he was still completely armoured, no matter what was said.

“You rest, I’ll take a watch. Then we’ll switch.” It was obvious Etho was battling sleep, but if they had any chance of surviving, they both needed to be at full strength.
“We’ll be fine. Come sleep. This is far enough out of sight we should at least be able to survive the night. I’ve patrolled around this area before, and I’m sure you have too. There were no signs of anyone the past two nights.” And if he could get them both in a similar position, Grian would feel more comfortable.

With reluctance, Etho obeyed, taking off his gauntlets and boots, though he laid his sword beside the bed ready to grab if needed.
As the man got into bed next to him, Grian’s mind went into a spiral. He had never shared a bed with Etho before. Jimmy, Joel, Scar, Mumbo. All these people when it had to be done, they were close friends, and he trusted them. But Etho was different.

And he was warm, Grian did everything in his power to resist moving closer to absorb some of that body heat.

‘I told you I’d serve however you wished’ Those words appeared again. Etho had always been attractive to him. Confident, comfortable in how to act. Only reacting when he knew it was a success, or a risk he was willing to take. There was something about that confidence that made him want to know more about the man, he wished to taste him. Wait, where did that come from?

His spiral continued as the other fell silent, he had a choice to make. Risk blowing up this alliance and taking his chance, or always wondering in their many lives what would have happened. Was it the cold talking? The desire for closeness? The loss of so many lives and the ticking of his internal clock, counting down to his imminent death?

When Grian was sure Etho was asleep, fast breathing slowing down, he decided to take the chance. He could blame the exhaustion, or the situation…but he couldn’t imagine getting this close to Etho again soon.

He forced his own breathing to slow and started slowly inching his way closer to the sleeping man. Did part of him feel bad about potentially interrupting his sleep? Sure. But they were most likely going to die anyway. There were too many others, and even though Etho had confirmed his loyalty, there was only so much one man could do. Perhaps it would help with the stress?

When Grian was close enough that he could roll over without it seeming overly strange, he carefully pushed himself into Etho’s warmth. It was heaven. The blankets were scratchy, and did little to protect them from the cold, but the effect was instant.

He could feel Etho waking up, and forced himself to remain still, like this had been done in his sleep rather than when he was wide awake and conscious. It was more than likely he’d just pull away and roll to face the other side.
“Grian?” The man’s voice was quiet, as much as Grian was forcing himself to slow down his breathing, it felt like his heart was beating at 100 miles a minute, he could feel the fabric of his clothes, the warmth Etho’s body produced. And was half expecting him to turn back around and go to sleep.

However, he was surprised instead when he felt an arm wrap around him and pull him slightly closer. Careful, as if not to disturb him, and he almost melted into the warmth. Etho ran warm apparently, and it was comforting. But…but he wanted more, he wanted to see how far he could push.

“Etho?” He dropped his voice a couple of octaves, trying to get a slight raspiness to it, which worked and Etho pulled away in surprise.
“Ah! I’m sorry…” He began, but Grian turned to face him, reaching for his wrist.

“It’s cold, keep me warm.” Time to see how far he could push what Etho would do, he did say anything. Though Grian didn’t want to force the man or make him uncomfortable. Etho seemed to hesitate, before obeying, wrapping his arms around Grian to bring him closer to his chest.
He could hear his heartbeat like this, fast paced, but he was so warm now, he never wanted to leave, to go back out to fight in these death games.

“Is this better?” He couldn’t see Etho’s expression, but Grian made sure to nod in reply, slotting a leg in between the others to try and take up as much of his space as possible. Before he was thinking, he tilted his head up to press a kiss to Etho’s neck.
“You should take your mask off. It must be uncomfortable to breathe.” Was that a big ask? He had never seen Etho with his mask off. There was a small hesitation before he did so, pulling the mask down so Grian could see his full face.

He was handsome, roughly shaved, the scar on his eye went all the way down to his chin, which gave him a more rugged look.
“You should kiss me.” Grian already felt he was taking too much. Etho hadn’t pulled away yet, but again he didn’t understand how far this truce went. At this point it seemed that there was something more, something currently unspoken between the pair.

And Etho obliged, lifting his chin slightly and kissing him. His lips were rough, chapped from exposure to the cold. Grian was suddenly feeling very greedy. There was nothing like this feeling, it helped stop the lingering fear and worry, the misery and cold that haunted his steps.
Who would have thought this day would end with him spending time in Etho’s bed, enjoying the company of the other man.

His hands moved on their own, lifting Etho’s shirt to press against the warm skin. They didn’t stop kissing, but the taller man maneuverer the pair so he was on top, pressing his own leg in-between Grian’s, effectively stopping him from moving away.

Grian found he needed Etho like air, the warmth, the way their bodies pressed against each other. He had no idea he was down this bad for the man, but the other remained calm. It was difficult even now to tell what was going on in his head. How he was feeling, what he wanted to do. Was this still just a ruse? Was he only following orders?

“What would you like me to do?” The man’s voice stopped another spiral…they were happening a lot lately.
“Are you only doing this because I’m telling you to?” Grian countered a question with his own, and Etho shrugged.
“I can still enjoy it though, can’t I? I like…you telling me what to do.” It was a quiet admission, but it stirred a heat in Grian, Etho under his control, being told what to do?

“I want you to take your clothes off, then take mine off.” Grian could play the role well. He liked being in control. Etho pulling away made him regret momentarily, missing the warmth of the man. But when it felt like he had his own private show of him stripping down, he couldn’t find himself complaining.

That confidence that Etho wore so well earlier was fading, and he seemed nervous as he removed each layer. He had already removed his jacket earlier, and removed his black shirt, exposing his chest. He was skinny, but muscular in certain places. He carried himself to be non-assuming, but it was obvious now without those layers he was strong. There was also a worrying level of redstone corruption, red veins that covered certain parts of his body, indicating overuse.

Grian couldn’t help but continue to watch as he stripped himself down fully, enjoying every part of the man. When he was done, Etho stepped back over to the bed, and Grian reached up to pull him back onto the bed.
He felt Etho’s hand slide under his own shirt, ragged and torn from days of none stop struggle. But for the moment none of that mattered, as his shirt was easily removed, then his trousers.

Grian dragged him back down into a kiss. Unlike the one before which was testing the waters, this was more. He wanted to taste every part of Etho, enjoy every pleasure that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy otherwise. Etho could give everything and Grian wanted to take it all for himself. To be greedy.
“I need you to fuck me, now.”

It was already too much, he was aching for more, for something to fill him up. Specifically, the pleasure that he knew Etho could provide him in this moment. The man had been so hesitant up until now.
He watched Etho spit on his hand, which was also strangely erotic in it’s own right, coating his fingers to prepare him.

“Have you done this before?” Grian wouldn’t know who else Etho would have this sort of relationship with. Joel perhaps, they had been weirdly close. Or someone he didn’t know?
Etho just gave a nod in response and eased the first finger into Grian. It had been a while since he had been in a relationship such as this, so the feeling was foreign at first, and painful. He couldn’t stop a wince and Etho stopped immediately.

“I’m ok, it’s just…it’s been a while.” That red eye scanned over him, almost checking to see if he was lying, before continuing.
He was gentle with him, and while Grian wanted nothing more than to be fucked, it was a relief that he was kind. While his hands were coarse, probably with all the fighting and struggling, he was still focused on being cautious. It took a little, but soon Grian was stretched enough that Etho seemed to feel content, spitting on his hand once more to coat his dick.

It was a good size, and Grian looked at it hungrily.
“You ok with this?” He had never felt this cared for, strangely enough. Grian had fucked others sure, but this was comforting, Etho wasn’t quick to rush him through it.
“Y…yeah, just…hurry up.” He wanted to push down as he felt the tip of Etho’s dick push against him, but then he thrusted inside and Grian gave a loud moan, only last minute remembering the situation they were in and forced himself to quiet down.
“You’re…big.” He grunted, but he felt so warm. The man above him let him adjust, and Grian gave a couple of deep breaths before he nodded.

“Ok, I’m…I’m ok.” He was about to ask Etho to continue, but the man interrupted that train of thought, holding himself up with one arm he pressed his hand to Grian’s cheek. He felt breathless as Etho looked into his eyes, a strange intimacy… what was going on?

But then he started thrusting into him, and the thought was gone, replaced by something more primal. It was a slow build up of pleasure, but soon he was moaning, his breathing coming in fast and hard. Etho was quiet in comparison, focused on the task at hand. Though their eyes met every so often, and how Grian wanted to be kissed by those lips again.

It stopped the thoughts of pain and suffering. The fact they were in this rotten death match and were going to end up in the ground. Right now, it was just the two of them in the darkness of night, enjoying each other’s company.

The smaller man’s hand found its way to his own cock, giving strokes that matched the pace Etho was going at. It wasn’t rough, well thought out, like everything else Etho seemed to do.
“Etho…feels good.” That slow build up of pleasure was reaching a euphoric level, and his moans grew louder. The breathing of the man above him was also getting rougher, though he seemed to have the stamina to continue.

However, the fact he had been going on for so long and wanted to sleep, this moment of kindness and shared pleasure, seeing Etho’s mouth quirk, his subtle expressions. It was harder to read with the mask, but without he was glad to see how confident he looked.

That pleasure reached a point where he couldn’t hold back anymore. His mind a white light, and the feeling pushing him to release.
“Etho…” The name on his lips, he was all he could think of, Etho, Etho, Etho.

It was going to be so difficult to forget this moment when it was all over.

Said man wasn’t far behind, pressing his head against Grian’s shoulder as his thrusts grew erratic. He felt him pulling out, releasing all over the side of Grian’s leg with a quiet moan, shaking slightly as he did so.
It seems his arms couldn’t hold out much longer, and he caught himself before he collapsed onto Grian, lying carefully on top of him.

Each took a couple of seconds to compose themselves, Grian had never felt as good as he had.

“That was amazing. I never knew you were holding out on me.” He chuckled. Etho rolled off him then, carefully sitting up.
“You were good too. Are you feeling warm now?” With a big grin and a nod in response Etho seemed satisfied with the answer, handing him a rag to clean up with.

“We should sleep, it’s going to be a long day tomorrow, and I’d like to attempt to see the sunset.”

Once cleaned up, Etho seemed less cautious on joining Grian back in bed, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. Tomorrow could wait for the moment.